Encouragements for our troubled times No. 60
COVID-19 Series | Date: 13 May 2021
The Elders and Deacons want to encourage the members and those who regularly meet with us through this weekly letter. If you have news which you would be happy to share with the fellowship or request for prayer, then please let us know.
A message from our Pastor
Psalm 61:3-4
“For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.”
Our Lord is everything to us. He is our Redeemer, our Brother, our Carer, the one who keeps us, loves us, abides with us and provides everything for us. And when our hearts are overwhelmed it is Him that we need and must look to for our help. And when we do, we find that He is not only our Rock but our shelter, our strong tower, our tabernacle, and one we can trust in, as the Psalmist, David, tells us.
“For You have been a shelter for me.” David looks back and can see that whenever things threatened to overwhelm him and he turned to the Lord, he found Him to be a shelter from them all. Like a mother hen who holds out her wings and provides shelter for her chicks under her wings, protecting them from any danger, our Lord shelters us. He shelters us from the fiery darts of Satan and all his wiles. He shelters us from the onslaughts of this fallen world. He shields us from the condemnation of the law and the wrath of our God. He is our shelter.
“A strong tower from the enemy.” These towers were places where soldiers would be safe from the attacks of the enemy. They could stay inside surrounded by the thick walls of the keep, in safety and wait out the attack. Our Lord is a strong tower for us. He is a place of safety where we can flee when danger is near. He shields us on every side so that no matter where the attack comes from, He protects us. He is Almighty and none can overthrow Him. And when we are in Him, no matter how long the danger lasts, we will be safe.
“I will abide in Your tabernacle forever.” A tabernacle is a tent used as a dwelling place. The tabernacle of God was His dwelling place in the midst of His people. What a comfort it was to the Psalmist to know that he dwelt in the tabernacle of God. Always in His presence. Always by His side. Never outside, alone, vulnerable, and fending for himself. No, the Psalmist knew he would be ever with the Lord. And every saint abides in His tabernacle, at home with Him, safe and secure with Him, and forever with the Lord.
“I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.” And we too can trust implicitly in the constant love, care, and protection of our Saviour. The question for us is, not can I trust in the shelter of His wings, but do I. Do you?